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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 9, Winter 1945-1946
Page 229
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 229 ing "published by the Terrestial Fantascience Guild," but its July, 1936 issue it abandoned what had become a mythical byline. (Wollheim's association with these associations during this period greatly influenced his thinking, and while active among them probably conceived the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.) In April, 1937 when Wollheim discontinued the publication as a subscription magazine and initiated an exclusive press association distribution fandom lost a worthwhile journalistic effort, for The Phantagraph quickly degenerated into its near-valueless form of today, when it is being produced solely to maintain the reputation of the oldest fan magazine still appearing regularly. The last effort of the Wollheim-Shepard combination was the magazine Fanciful Tales of Time and Space. This neat, printed publication appeared in the fall of 1936. It boasted a fine cover by Clay Ferguson, Jr., and featured "The Nameless City" of H. P. Lovecraft, along with other excellent material by Keller, Howard, Wollheim, Derleth and others. Yet, although fan response to it was fair, and although it was in every way a production of which the publishers had every reason to be proud, mechanical difficulties prevented a second number from ever being issued. The failure of Fanciful Tales ended the coalition of Wollheim and Shepard permanently. Shepard on his own tack produced "The History of the Necronomicon" of Lovecraft, and issued three numbers of a little fan magazine The Rebel which he planned to fill with hotly controversial material. However, it never showed any promise and went to its deserved death, dragging with it into oblivion Shepard himself, whose only appearance thereafter was due to material left in the hands of the Moskowitz Manuscript Bureau. The Terrestial Fantascience Guild itself expired quietly too, dying as it had been born with an utter lack of fanfare, and being quickly forgotten by all concerned. VIII The Science Fiction League The birth of the TFG coincided almost exactly with that of an even more important organization, the Science Fiction League. Credit for conceiving the league idea is generally given to Charles D. Hornig, editor of Wonder Stories at the time and the first managing-secretary of the group. However, in an autobiography printed in Fantasy Magazine, Hornig states that Gernsback broached the idea originally. While this might be simple diplomacy of a subordinate, it will be remembered that Gernsback initiated a Short Wave League in one of his chain of radio magazines some years earlier, so that Hornig may be relating no more than the simple truth. Announcement of the SFL was made in the May, 1934 Wonder Stories, and on the magazine's cover there appeared the league's emblem of a soaring rocket. Gernsback himself had written a four-page editorial introduction describing the plan. Certification of membership, emblematic lapel buttons and club stationery were ready for distribution. It was obvious that more than trifling preparation had gone into the creation of this, the first professionally sponsored club for fantasy fans. A board of directors, largely composed of professional authors, but with the most prominent letter-writers of the day (Ackerman and Darrow) also represented, had been chosen. Gernsback was listed as the executive secretary, and Hornig held the assistant secretary's post. Gersback summed up the League as "a non-commercial membership organization for the furtherance and betterment of the art of science fiction." No one realized at the time that in so doing he had renounced his belief that science-fictionists must be science-hobbyists, that he had founded an organization which specifically stipulated its aim to be the furtherance of science-fiction---science itself---his former idol---not even being listed secondarily. At this point it should also be realized that those who in their later battles against Wonder
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 229 ing "published by the Terrestial Fantascience Guild," but its July, 1936 issue it abandoned what had become a mythical byline. (Wollheim's association with these associations during this period greatly influenced his thinking, and while active among them probably conceived the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.) In April, 1937 when Wollheim discontinued the publication as a subscription magazine and initiated an exclusive press association distribution fandom lost a worthwhile journalistic effort, for The Phantagraph quickly degenerated into its near-valueless form of today, when it is being produced solely to maintain the reputation of the oldest fan magazine still appearing regularly. The last effort of the Wollheim-Shepard combination was the magazine Fanciful Tales of Time and Space. This neat, printed publication appeared in the fall of 1936. It boasted a fine cover by Clay Ferguson, Jr., and featured "The Nameless City" of H. P. Lovecraft, along with other excellent material by Keller, Howard, Wollheim, Derleth and others. Yet, although fan response to it was fair, and although it was in every way a production of which the publishers had every reason to be proud, mechanical difficulties prevented a second number from ever being issued. The failure of Fanciful Tales ended the coalition of Wollheim and Shepard permanently. Shepard on his own tack produced "The History of the Necronomicon" of Lovecraft, and issued three numbers of a little fan magazine The Rebel which he planned to fill with hotly controversial material. However, it never showed any promise and went to its deserved death, dragging with it into oblivion Shepard himself, whose only appearance thereafter was due to material left in the hands of the Moskowitz Manuscript Bureau. The Terrestial Fantascience Guild itself expired quietly too, dying as it had been born with an utter lack of fanfare, and being quickly forgotten by all concerned. VIII The Science Fiction League The birth of the TFG coincided almost exactly with that of an even more important organization, the Science Fiction League. Credit for conceiving the league idea is generally given to Charles D. Hornig, editor of Wonder Stories at the time and the first managing-secretary of the group. However, in an autobiography printed in Fantasy Magazine, Hornig states that Gernsback broached the idea originally. While this might be simple diplomacy of a subordinate, it will be remembered that Gernsback initiated a Short Wave League in one of his chain of radio magazines some years earlier, so that Hornig may be relating no more than the simple truth. Announcement of the SFL was made in the May, 1934 Wonder Stories, and on the magazine's cover there appeared the league's emblem of a soaring rocket. Gernsback himself had written a four-page editorial introduction describing the plan. Certification of membership, emblematic lapel buttons and club stationery were ready for distribution. It was obvious that more than trifling preparation had gone into the creation of this, the first professionally sponsored club for fantasy fans. A board of directors, largely composed of professional authors, but with the most prominent letter-writers of the day (Ackerman and Darrow) also represented, had been chosen. Gernsback was listed as the executive secretary, and Hornig held the assistant secretary's post. Gersback summed up the League as "a non-commercial membership organization for the furtherance and betterment of the art of science fiction." No one realized at the time that in so doing he had renounced his belief that science-fictionists must be science-hobbyists, that he had founded an organization which specifically stipulated its aim to be the furtherance of science-fiction---science itself---his former idol---not even being listed secondarily. At this point it should also be realized that those who in their later battles against Wonder
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